First ever Pan-Arctic Regional Climate Outlook Forum provides predictions for summer season A new Pan-Arctic Climate Outlook Forum has met for the first time to provide predictions for the forthcoming summer season as part of an international drive to improve weather, climate and sea ice forecasts in a region undergoing rapid environmental change.

The Korean Meteorological Administration has signed an agreement with the World Meteorological Organization to host the International Coordination Office for the second phase of a project which aims to improve predictions at sub-seasonal to seasonal timescales.

An Arctic summer special observing period is taking place from 1 July to 30 September as part of the Year of Polar Prediction (YOPP). Extensive extra observations will be carried out at numerous land stations in the Arctic as part of field campaigns and expeditions, and by autonomous instruments. Numerical experimentation and internationally coordinated verification activities will use the additional observations for forecast evaluation and observational impact studies.

This includes through access to the very latest satellite technology and initiatives to improve weather forecasts and early warnings.WMO is ramping up its drive to mobilize political and financial support to strengthen hydrometeorological services in Africa in order to boost climate adaptation and sustainable development. A series of meetings and high-level discussions in the space of a week focussed on challenges and opportunities - including through access to the very latest satellite technology and initiatives to improve weather forecasts and early warnings.

A WMO-led project to establish a functioning hydrometeorological service in Afghanistan to improve early warnings and provide accessible and accurate weather forecasts to increase resilience has “achieved more than anyone could imagine,” according to an Afghan government minister.

WMO has signed an agreement with the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) to further strengthen meteorological cooperation. Under a Memorandum of Understanding signed by HKO Director Shun Chi-ming and WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas, HKO will support WMO’s initiative in establishing the Global Multi-hazard Alert System (GMAS).

A massive storm system brought historic flooding across South Eastern Europe in 2014, causing more than $2 billion in damages in Bosnia and Herzegovina and shrinking Serbia’s economy by nearly a full percent. Two years later, in August 2016, thunderstorms in the Former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of Macedonia dropped 93 liters of precipitation per square meter in just a few hours, sparking flash floods in the capital, Skopje, that killed at least 21 people .

Increasing resilience to high-impact weather Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of high-impact weather events, exacerbating their social and economic blow on people and infrastructure, especially...

The European Space Agency’s Earth Explorer Aeolus satellite has been launched into polar orbit on a Vega rocket. Using revolutionary laser technology, Aeolus will measure winds around the globe and play a key role in the quest to better understand the workings of our atmosphere. Importantly, this novel mission will also improve weather forecasting.